How do you reduce the period of time showering?
March 2, 2023 5:59 PM Subscribe
Without sacrificing anything, that is. One website I went to thought I was asking only asking how to save hot water. I don't know which category to put it in.
Move faster? Set a timer and go! Sometimes giving yourself a time limit can help. Using cold or cooler water will also make you hurry up.
posted by mokeydraws at 6:06 PM on March 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by mokeydraws at 6:06 PM on March 2, 2023 [4 favorites]
If you don't have an extensible shower head, get one. They allow you to target your rinsing more efficiently.
posted by zadcat at 6:10 PM on March 2, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by zadcat at 6:10 PM on March 2, 2023 [11 favorites]
If it takes a while for the water to reach the desired temperature than start it while you're undressing and getting your towel that way you aren't wasting time waiting for the hot water to come. Slightly jokey idea, take a cooler/colder shower than usual, you'll try to get things done as quick as possible.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:26 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:26 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Having very short hair that I don't really need to shampoo helps a lot. I just run a brush through it in the shower to clean/massage my scalp.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:27 PM on March 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:27 PM on March 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
It seems too simple but "move faster" is really a thing. I take >2 minute showers (3 minutes if I wash my shoulder-length hair), my husband spends at least 8-9 minutes, we both go through the same steps but I'm doing them faster.
posted by third word on a random page at 6:43 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by third word on a random page at 6:43 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
High pressure hand held shower head
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:03 PM on March 2, 2023
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:03 PM on March 2, 2023
Look up "submarine shower", to see how people who get 20 seconds of water do it.
posted by mhoye at 7:04 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mhoye at 7:04 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
Water on
Undress
Step in
Head to toe rinse
Shampoo
Rinse off shampoo
Conditioner
Wash body
Time head to toe
Wash and rinse face
That’s my routine, takes five-seven minutes
I’m a guy who shaves his face daily. I put my shaving cream near the drain, where it’ll be warmed by the water. It’s a nice touch.
The night before, make sure your towel, washcloth (or whatever, if anything), as well as any after shower routine products are lined up on the counter. Shaving things, deodorant, face products, hair products, etc.
posted by Caxton1476 at 7:04 PM on March 2, 2023
Undress
Step in
Head to toe rinse
Shampoo
Rinse off shampoo
Conditioner
Wash body
Time head to toe
Wash and rinse face
That’s my routine, takes five-seven minutes
I’m a guy who shaves his face daily. I put my shaving cream near the drain, where it’ll be warmed by the water. It’s a nice touch.
The night before, make sure your towel, washcloth (or whatever, if anything), as well as any after shower routine products are lined up on the counter. Shaving things, deodorant, face products, hair products, etc.
posted by Caxton1476 at 7:04 PM on March 2, 2023
Wash hair first, then apply conditioner. While that's sitting on the hair (leave-in time is important), wash the rest except for face and shoulders; rinse conditioner, then wash face and shoulders.
I also have everything I need on an awesome shower shelf at eye level so I can easily see and reach it without bending over.
Also: I keep everything in a consistent location so I never have to hunt for anything.
posted by amtho at 7:08 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I also have everything I need on an awesome shower shelf at eye level so I can easily see and reach it without bending over.
Also: I keep everything in a consistent location so I never have to hunt for anything.
posted by amtho at 7:08 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I also stopped using one conditioner because it took too long to rinse out.
posted by amtho at 7:08 PM on March 2, 2023
posted by amtho at 7:08 PM on March 2, 2023
For me, listening to rock music while I'm showering keeps me moving and has the side benefit that I expect to be done and drying myself by a certain point in the playlist (e.g., first song done and end of the first chorus of the second song). FWIW.
posted by forthright at 7:52 PM on March 2, 2023
posted by forthright at 7:52 PM on March 2, 2023
Yes, music is really helpful for pacing yourself in the shower! Pick a song or several songs that equal the length of time you’d like to shower for, and listen to them every single time you shower. This may require a Bluetooth shower speaker, but you can get a cheap one on Amazon for $20-30.
posted by mekily at 8:01 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mekily at 8:01 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
For a long time we had a water heater with one broken element, giving up 3-4 minutes of hot water. I learned to move fast...wash fast, wash hair fast, rinse fast. I give myself a little more time now that the hot water heater is working properly, but I'm still fairly fast.
posted by lhauser at 8:15 PM on March 2, 2023
posted by lhauser at 8:15 PM on March 2, 2023
How much time do you usually take in the shower, and how much do you want to reduce it? I find it's actually faster to wash my entire body with a lathered-up washcloth than any other version of "efficiency" that focuses on pits & bits. It only takes a couple of minutes. I do not shave daily and I don't shampoo daily, so if those are part of your definition of "without sacrificing anything," that'll take 5-7 minutes more. Even still, the actual grooming-myself parts of a shower don't exceed 10 minutes. (The standing in the hot water contemplating my existence part of the shower, on the other hand, is a highly variable timespan.)
posted by desuetude at 8:18 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by desuetude at 8:18 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I take quick showers, but that's because I get in, shampoo, rinse, soap, rinse, and done. It's not an elaborate process and doesn't take long.
But if you have more elaborate things you do there, like shaving and lotioning, speeding things up isn't as simple as "jump in, soap up, jump out" since no matter what those other things take some time.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:22 PM on March 2, 2023
But if you have more elaborate things you do there, like shaving and lotioning, speeding things up isn't as simple as "jump in, soap up, jump out" since no matter what those other things take some time.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:22 PM on March 2, 2023
On average, a shower uses 2.5 gallons or 9 litres of water per minute it is running. It adds up quickly, so the trick is to subtract running time when the flow of water isn't serving a specific purpose.
I'm not sure if this counts as sacrificing anything, but I only wash and condition my hair once a week so that really saves on shower time - my non-hair washing showers are like 2 minutes long.
On washing and conditioning days, I wet my head, turn off the water and lather my shampoo and wash my hair well, then turn it back on to rinse my head and wet my soap bar. I turn it back off to put in conditioner in my hair, comb it through and then soap myself head to toe. This means the conditioner has some time to set in without wasting water running in the process. I wash my face while my conditioner is rinsing out.
If you're a person who shaves their legs, my tip for leg shaving days, I do all my steps, then turn the water off and sit in the tub or shower, shave my legs and only turn on the tap to rinse my razor. Once I'm done both legs, I turn the shower back on and re-wash my lower half again quickly.
If your water needs to heat up first thing while running, you can put a bucket in the shower to catch water for reuse, like watering plants or rinsing dishes.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:25 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure if this counts as sacrificing anything, but I only wash and condition my hair once a week so that really saves on shower time - my non-hair washing showers are like 2 minutes long.
On washing and conditioning days, I wet my head, turn off the water and lather my shampoo and wash my hair well, then turn it back on to rinse my head and wet my soap bar. I turn it back off to put in conditioner in my hair, comb it through and then soap myself head to toe. This means the conditioner has some time to set in without wasting water running in the process. I wash my face while my conditioner is rinsing out.
If you're a person who shaves their legs, my tip for leg shaving days, I do all my steps, then turn the water off and sit in the tub or shower, shave my legs and only turn on the tap to rinse my razor. Once I'm done both legs, I turn the shower back on and re-wash my lower half again quickly.
If your water needs to heat up first thing while running, you can put a bucket in the shower to catch water for reuse, like watering plants or rinsing dishes.
posted by urbanlenny at 8:25 PM on March 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't necessarily aim for quick showers but if I'm in a hurry I can easily take a 2-3 minute shower, and my usual showers are around 5-7 minutes. I'd say a lot of it for me is to have all of the things I need for the shower in the shower and easily accessible without bending over, plus having a handheld showerhead that I can aim more directly at any places that it's more difficult to rinse. I also use 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner and body wash instead of bar soap, which I can just dispense with a few pumps or a squeeze of a bottle rather than trying to work up a lather or whatever.
Note that I have short hair; longer hair probably complicates matters somewhat. I also don't shave my face most days; that happens about twice a week and I do it outside the shower in front of the sink, but directly after my shower while the whiskers are still damp.
posted by Aleyn at 11:11 PM on March 2, 2023
Note that I have short hair; longer hair probably complicates matters somewhat. I also don't shave my face most days; that happens about twice a week and I do it outside the shower in front of the sink, but directly after my shower while the whiskers are still damp.
posted by Aleyn at 11:11 PM on March 2, 2023
In addition to all the tips here, use fewer products. Time switching bottles adds up. If you start by lathering your head you can kind of just keep going. You can use a gentle shampoo bar like J.R. Liggett's as a soap for the rest of you.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:15 PM on March 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:15 PM on March 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
If you get into a nice fugue state while showering and lose track of time, you can get a waterproof clock in the shower to keep an eye on.
If showering takes too long because it's so pleasant, you can get in, get your body wet, turn off the water, apply soap/shampoo/conditioner, turn water on to rinse, repeat as necessary. Basically keep the water off for anything that doesn't involve rinsing. (Oh preview, what urbanlenny said.) This is especially effective when it's cold...
If you use conditioner, you can experiment with not rinsing it out 100%.
posted by trig at 11:55 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
If showering takes too long because it's so pleasant, you can get in, get your body wet, turn off the water, apply soap/shampoo/conditioner, turn water on to rinse, repeat as necessary. Basically keep the water off for anything that doesn't involve rinsing. (Oh preview, what urbanlenny said.) This is especially effective when it's cold...
If you use conditioner, you can experiment with not rinsing it out 100%.
posted by trig at 11:55 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
I started taking cold showers a few years ago. I found them invigorating and noticed that my skin and hair prefer being washed in cold water, so I've continued. I also realized that I didn't need hot water or soap to get clean as long as I scrubbed myself a bit with my hand.
I was already washing my hair with either nothing or just conditioner (I have dry curly hair, and shampoo is too harsh for it). Before showering, I rinse my hair with a pitcher, work the conditioner through, let sit a few minutes, and then shower.
I spend 3 minutes showering, tops.
posted by katmai at 2:18 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was already washing my hair with either nothing or just conditioner (I have dry curly hair, and shampoo is too harsh for it). Before showering, I rinse my hair with a pitcher, work the conditioner through, let sit a few minutes, and then shower.
I spend 3 minutes showering, tops.
posted by katmai at 2:18 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Being wide awake helps me shower faster.
Breakfast/coffee/tea before showering maybe. I have more energy and can move faster.
Half asleep i've been known to shampoo several times because i wasnt certain i'd done it yet.
posted by TheAdamist at 4:37 AM on March 3, 2023
Breakfast/coffee/tea before showering maybe. I have more energy and can move faster.
Half asleep i've been known to shampoo several times because i wasnt certain i'd done it yet.
posted by TheAdamist at 4:37 AM on March 3, 2023
I used to take a longer shower because I was staying in there till I was warm enough to face getting out. A space heater in the bathroom helped with that.
posted by xo at 5:27 AM on March 3, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by xo at 5:27 AM on March 3, 2023 [5 favorites]
Water down the contents of your shampoo- body wash- conditioner bottles so that it comes out as soon as you tip the bottle.
Open the bottles while you are running the water hot.
Choose clothes that you can step right into and lay them out, unfolded and turned so that you can dive right into them when you are dry.
If you have a combined shower-bathtub put in the plug so that you are in standing water by the time you are done. This will save some time on rinsing soap off your feet.
Wet your hair and shampoo first, then while you are applying soap to the essential zones of your body, lean your head under the running water to start getting the shampoo rinsed out. Rinse the remaining shampoo and soap at the same time.
Make sure you have the right mat in the shower so that you can easily stand on one foot without having to right your balance - also lean on the wall. Do one foot first, then your crotch and armpits while the first soapy foot is in the water getting the soap rinsed off. Only then do the second foot, when the first one is no longer soapy enough to be a slipping risk.
Use a bath sheet to wipe the shower walls when you are done instead of a squeegee, and use your forearms to swipe it over the walls, not just your hands. If the bath sheet is big enough one hand can be doing high up spots while the other is using the long trailing end of the bath sheet to wipe lower down.
If you go into a happy zombie trance under the hot water because it feels so good, don't shower in water that hot - use a temperature that is between blissing you out so you don't want to get out, and barely hot enough to rinse the soap, so as to avoid being captured by how good it feels. - However only do this on those work day mornings when you have to get in and out fast. Reserve the blissful temperature for evenings when it doesn't matter how long you spend, so that you retain some pleasure in life.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:36 AM on March 3, 2023
Open the bottles while you are running the water hot.
Choose clothes that you can step right into and lay them out, unfolded and turned so that you can dive right into them when you are dry.
If you have a combined shower-bathtub put in the plug so that you are in standing water by the time you are done. This will save some time on rinsing soap off your feet.
Wet your hair and shampoo first, then while you are applying soap to the essential zones of your body, lean your head under the running water to start getting the shampoo rinsed out. Rinse the remaining shampoo and soap at the same time.
Make sure you have the right mat in the shower so that you can easily stand on one foot without having to right your balance - also lean on the wall. Do one foot first, then your crotch and armpits while the first soapy foot is in the water getting the soap rinsed off. Only then do the second foot, when the first one is no longer soapy enough to be a slipping risk.
Use a bath sheet to wipe the shower walls when you are done instead of a squeegee, and use your forearms to swipe it over the walls, not just your hands. If the bath sheet is big enough one hand can be doing high up spots while the other is using the long trailing end of the bath sheet to wipe lower down.
If you go into a happy zombie trance under the hot water because it feels so good, don't shower in water that hot - use a temperature that is between blissing you out so you don't want to get out, and barely hot enough to rinse the soap, so as to avoid being captured by how good it feels. - However only do this on those work day mornings when you have to get in and out fast. Reserve the blissful temperature for evenings when it doesn't matter how long you spend, so that you retain some pleasure in life.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:36 AM on March 3, 2023
My son liked long hot showers at full pressure. I reduced the water flow and he never noticed. It takes me a few seconds longer to fully rinse my hair, but overall, I use a lot less hot water.
posted by theora55 at 6:39 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 6:39 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
I know someone who was the property manager of multiple large blocks of apartment buildings. He bought a shower timer for every unit, and immediately started saving thousands of dollars on hot water costs.
As others have said, the main reason showers take a long time is that people use them to relax. If you use them to do your business, they just take a couple of minutes. (The other things that can add time are shampooing twice -- not necessary -- and letting your conditioner sit in your hair before rinsing it out. The conditioner time can be moderated by using that time to wash your body.)
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:40 AM on March 3, 2023
As others have said, the main reason showers take a long time is that people use them to relax. If you use them to do your business, they just take a couple of minutes. (The other things that can add time are shampooing twice -- not necessary -- and letting your conditioner sit in your hair before rinsing it out. The conditioner time can be moderated by using that time to wash your body.)
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:40 AM on March 3, 2023
I do three different modes of shower:
- 2 minute shower every day - Get body wet. Lather hands with bar soap. Hand-rub armpits, neck, groin, feet. Rinse, exit.
- 20 minute hair wash twice a week - Get wet. Wash hair. Apply conditioner & clip up hair. Turn off water and do another body task standing in the tub while the conditioner works (Pumice my heels, shave legs, or cut nails). Detangle hair. Rinse hair. Condition again. Clip up hair. Soap & rinse body as above, with extra attention paid to removing conditioner where it has gotten on my skin to avoid backne.
- 30 minute shower a couple times a month, or maybe 1-2 times a week in summer when sunscreen, sand, and sweat make me dirtier on a daily basis - As above... but also, add deep conditioner hair product, and also plug the drain so my feet soak during the entire shower. While the conditioner is working, I give my soaked feet a quickie pedicure (pumice heels, exfoliate feet, cut toenails, clean up toe cuticles, etc). Shave legs. Use scrubby gloves to exfoliate entire body.
Since I "detail" my entire body a few times a month, there are lots of days in between where I'm already exfoliated and well-cared for, so if I didn't get sweaty that day, a quick 2-min shower is just fine.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 9:26 AM on March 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
- 2 minute shower every day - Get body wet. Lather hands with bar soap. Hand-rub armpits, neck, groin, feet. Rinse, exit.
- 20 minute hair wash twice a week - Get wet. Wash hair. Apply conditioner & clip up hair. Turn off water and do another body task standing in the tub while the conditioner works (Pumice my heels, shave legs, or cut nails). Detangle hair. Rinse hair. Condition again. Clip up hair. Soap & rinse body as above, with extra attention paid to removing conditioner where it has gotten on my skin to avoid backne.
- 30 minute shower a couple times a month, or maybe 1-2 times a week in summer when sunscreen, sand, and sweat make me dirtier on a daily basis - As above... but also, add deep conditioner hair product, and also plug the drain so my feet soak during the entire shower. While the conditioner is working, I give my soaked feet a quickie pedicure (pumice heels, exfoliate feet, cut toenails, clean up toe cuticles, etc). Shave legs. Use scrubby gloves to exfoliate entire body.
Since I "detail" my entire body a few times a month, there are lots of days in between where I'm already exfoliated and well-cared for, so if I didn't get sweaty that day, a quick 2-min shower is just fine.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 9:26 AM on March 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
In this I am a viking swimmer heavy industrial worker in a previous life.
First: prep everything you need to shower in its place, so start with a shower caddy. Or bag. Or just a box.
Second: always the same: make it a reflexive routine.
Third: focus. My show starts cold. I embrace it and use a washcloth and get started with the extremities, a cold wash cloth to the face is amazing. No music, no distractions.
Fourth: Rotation. Put everywhere that does not require daily attention on a cleaning rotation. Yes, you hair will likely be fine on a rotation, that's MWF. Or even days, or top third, mid third, bottom third, repeat. Whatever works. Simpler is better. If you are forgetful the showcaddy can be used to tally your progress. So every used item gets put back turned around, a rotation to mark my rotation.
Fifth: swimmer shake and shammy. This is the critical step for maximum efficiency. 'Cleaning' doesn't end with the shower part, so finish that part early and move on. Take a moment to shake (or just self squeegee) off some of the water. Then with a shammy or dry smaller wash cloth* I do a dryscrub, not whole body but about the 80% it is easy to get to. This process is not a hard exfoliant, but much more aggressive than just a pat dry. As I scrub down a decent cloth can hold a surprising amount of water, mine never get too damp to pickup any further water. Crucially I can still quickly grab the fully wet washcloth to spot wash with soap anything that needs further attention. When I worked in industrial settings I also had a "dry" pre-wash so the solvents and cleaners could work properly to remove oil.
Six: exit. Yes you will still be damp, and yes drying is now two steps. Change this part of the routine. Maybe move the remainder of your prep elsewhere, including the final towel dry. It can be fancy - use that bathrobe! Or step up to the magic of a changing towel - it's a towel robe! Still need mirror time? Put one the shower caddy. This makes many big assumptions about habits and housing - but it's still useful to break out the part you want to pay attention to and separate other processes.
Seven: timer. Just tracking will make a big difference. Sure, reasonable goals are smart, but maybe you are competitive in this fashion. Or maybe you min max it to the point of relearning teeth brushing with your non dominant hand so you can speed run the whole bathroom process door to door in a minute flat. Eventually two minute showers will feel leisurely. Infrequently I totally enjoy having TWO showers, a short shower in the morning and another before bed.
I am very much someone who loves water and can run the shower out of hot water daydreaming. If showering is a brief moment of quiet solitude for you then before you attempt any of this I would find another daily activity that provides you, your mind, your body, that time. It has to fit, so maybe move getting up five minutes earlier to lie in bed a moment. Or just put a full bath on your weekly schedule. Or take out the trash and find a nice spot by the fence to briefly disassociate, or socially accepted activities like yoga or meditation.
*A shammy towel or swimmers 'dry towel' are about 1/2 the size of a bath towel and are great but not essential. Their primary benefit is that they will dry quickly between use, hold up to the constant use, and are much more efficient at drying. Their downside is that they can feel a bit spongy, scratchy or both, and while that works great for my purposes, I'm just using small towels. I find my regular large bath towels don't require as much attention and I can re-use one for much longer periods. In terms of laundry it's a net gain in items, but much less total volume. There is the expense of replacing these small towels more frequently, but my bath towels now tend to last.
posted by zenon at 9:32 AM on March 3, 2023
First: prep everything you need to shower in its place, so start with a shower caddy. Or bag. Or just a box.
Second: always the same: make it a reflexive routine.
Third: focus. My show starts cold. I embrace it and use a washcloth and get started with the extremities, a cold wash cloth to the face is amazing. No music, no distractions.
Fourth: Rotation. Put everywhere that does not require daily attention on a cleaning rotation. Yes, you hair will likely be fine on a rotation, that's MWF. Or even days, or top third, mid third, bottom third, repeat. Whatever works. Simpler is better. If you are forgetful the showcaddy can be used to tally your progress. So every used item gets put back turned around, a rotation to mark my rotation.
Fifth: swimmer shake and shammy. This is the critical step for maximum efficiency. 'Cleaning' doesn't end with the shower part, so finish that part early and move on. Take a moment to shake (or just self squeegee) off some of the water. Then with a shammy or dry smaller wash cloth* I do a dryscrub, not whole body but about the 80% it is easy to get to. This process is not a hard exfoliant, but much more aggressive than just a pat dry. As I scrub down a decent cloth can hold a surprising amount of water, mine never get too damp to pickup any further water. Crucially I can still quickly grab the fully wet washcloth to spot wash with soap anything that needs further attention. When I worked in industrial settings I also had a "dry" pre-wash so the solvents and cleaners could work properly to remove oil.
Six: exit. Yes you will still be damp, and yes drying is now two steps. Change this part of the routine. Maybe move the remainder of your prep elsewhere, including the final towel dry. It can be fancy - use that bathrobe! Or step up to the magic of a changing towel - it's a towel robe! Still need mirror time? Put one the shower caddy. This makes many big assumptions about habits and housing - but it's still useful to break out the part you want to pay attention to and separate other processes.
Seven: timer. Just tracking will make a big difference. Sure, reasonable goals are smart, but maybe you are competitive in this fashion. Or maybe you min max it to the point of relearning teeth brushing with your non dominant hand so you can speed run the whole bathroom process door to door in a minute flat. Eventually two minute showers will feel leisurely. Infrequently I totally enjoy having TWO showers, a short shower in the morning and another before bed.
I am very much someone who loves water and can run the shower out of hot water daydreaming. If showering is a brief moment of quiet solitude for you then before you attempt any of this I would find another daily activity that provides you, your mind, your body, that time. It has to fit, so maybe move getting up five minutes earlier to lie in bed a moment. Or just put a full bath on your weekly schedule. Or take out the trash and find a nice spot by the fence to briefly disassociate, or socially accepted activities like yoga or meditation.
*A shammy towel or swimmers 'dry towel' are about 1/2 the size of a bath towel and are great but not essential. Their primary benefit is that they will dry quickly between use, hold up to the constant use, and are much more efficient at drying. Their downside is that they can feel a bit spongy, scratchy or both, and while that works great for my purposes, I'm just using small towels. I find my regular large bath towels don't require as much attention and I can re-use one for much longer periods. In terms of laundry it's a net gain in items, but much less total volume. There is the expense of replacing these small towels more frequently, but my bath towels now tend to last.
posted by zenon at 9:32 AM on March 3, 2023
a space heater in the bathroom eliminates the disincentive to get out.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:53 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:53 AM on March 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is silly but I have a tendency to zone out in the shower and waste time, even though I'm already doing everything in the "efficient" order/strategy like most replies have laid out already.
To keep myself on track when I'm really in a rush I count "1, 2, 3, 4, 5" for every step. It's not a metronome - I let myself count more slowly if it's a step that genuinely takes longer - but the counting keeps me focused and moving forward on the task. So, step in, get my hair fully wet - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - squeeze out shampoo and rub it into my scalp - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - step under the spray and rinse out the shampoo - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - so on and so forth until I'm done.
Consistently saves me at least a minute or two.
posted by telegraph at 6:31 PM on March 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
To keep myself on track when I'm really in a rush I count "1, 2, 3, 4, 5" for every step. It's not a metronome - I let myself count more slowly if it's a step that genuinely takes longer - but the counting keeps me focused and moving forward on the task. So, step in, get my hair fully wet - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - squeeze out shampoo and rub it into my scalp - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - step under the spray and rinse out the shampoo - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - so on and so forth until I'm done.
Consistently saves me at least a minute or two.
posted by telegraph at 6:31 PM on March 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Similar to telegraph, the moment I stop concentrating on what I'm doing, I s l o o o w r i i i g h t d o o o w w n. Keeping a rapid running count going in my head the whole time I'm washing myself keeps me a bit more present, which helps.
I've never found a trick for getting myself dry and dressed any faster, unfortunately.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:48 AM on March 4, 2023
I've never found a trick for getting myself dry and dressed any faster, unfortunately.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:48 AM on March 4, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you. many great tips. What is that special kind of shampoo ...
I guess 2 minutesis realistic if focused enough, but one minute, wow .
I agree that most people are not doing construction work etc. so 5 minutes is really not necessary. And everyday, is not necessary (and it's even not good) according to dermatologists.
No way I can imagine 20 seconds.
What is that special kind of shampoo ...
posted by amfgf at 12:48 PM on March 6, 2023
I guess 2 minutesis realistic if focused enough, but one minute, wow .
I agree that most people are not doing construction work etc. so 5 minutes is really not necessary. And everyday, is not necessary (and it's even not good) according to dermatologists.
No way I can imagine 20 seconds.
What is that special kind of shampoo ...
posted by amfgf at 12:48 PM on March 6, 2023
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posted by seanmpuckett at 6:05 PM on March 2, 2023 [2 favorites]